Think of a time in your life when you discovered something
new that you were excited about.

Remember that feeling? The feeling of wonder, hope, and excitement.

The feeling of a new beginning.

It could be a new love
A new friendship
A new project
A new song

A new book
A new puppy
A new job
A vacation to a favorite place

Even something as simple as a new thought or a new idea…

Because the mind senses that “newness” – in other words, it can feel the difference of that new energy. It’s as if the sun just emerged from behind the clouds or we notice a new flower blooming in mid-winter.

That “something new” gives us a feeling of inspiration and can make all the difference in our day and even our lives.

When we discover something new – especially about ourselves, a whole new world of possibilities opens to us. Our Heart opens and our mind relaxes and lets go of the old patterns and habitual thoughts.

Habitual Thoughts – “The Island Of The Known”

There’s only one thing that holds us back from discovering the “New” – it’s the mind.

The mind that thinks too much. The mind that thinks it needs to “figure things out”.

The old habitual thoughts are the single factor that holds us back from discovering the “newness” in every moment. Often, we don’t even sense that the mind is pretending to be in control, and that it distorts reality. Instead if seeing the truth in any given situation, it often holds on to the the familiar. And that “familiar” becomes a lens that unconsciously processes life and how we view and perceive things.

You can think of it as an “island” that we don’t even know keeps us separate from the rest if the world. Call it the “Island of The Known”. On this island, the preservation of status quo is the goal (or even worshipped). It’s the ego’s job to preserve it at all costs.

The conditioned mind hates change – and ironically, it would rather keep us tethered to that “Island of the Known” for as long as it possibly can. Change represents uncertainty and fear.

But what’s really to fear?

Holding on to the Island of the Known.

Many of us have tried to swim away from that island, unknowingly taking a life preserver with the initials “HHS – Island of the Known” imprinted on it. And even with best intentions, the fear of the unknown holds is back from swimming in the Ocean of Life.

The Ocean Of Life (The Unknown)

When we make the decision to let go of the old island and take a swim in the “Ocean of Life”, amazing things happen. We meet new people. We discover new things. We sense new energies. We feel new feelings.

We feel the pulse of Life itself.

It may not always feel like “enlightenment”, but it teaches us new things about ourselves. It gives us a sense of being alive, rather than living in a trance (we live in trance states more often than any of us would ever care to admit but more about that in a future post).

Joseph Campbell says it best:

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

“The feeling of being alive”. I just love that wisdom. I remember the first time I ever heard it over 20 years ago. It rings as true now as it did then, because it symbolizes the very essence of what we’re taking about.

The feeling of “newness” is the feeling of being alive.

Life is our best teacher. Life is the essence of why we’re here. Life is what we want more of, yet we often allow ourselves to fall back and hide away in that old “island of the known”.

Today’s Action Step

Think of 5 things you would love to do or experience that would bring you
a feeling of inspiration and excitement.

Write them down now…

Close your eyes and feel the essence of each one.
Choose one that you want to begin today to energize.

Set your intent on allowing it to teach you – to guide you on a new path
of wonder and inspiration.